Lovegood and the Doctor
by Natalie Nallareet
Summary: When nine year old Luna finds her mother's spell caught her in a crossfire, a stranger with a funny bow tie and a blue box takes her to see the stars. Luna Companoin. Post God Complex, pre Harry Potter. Four-shot
1. Chapter 1

**A/C: **This piece took me far too long to write for such a small thing. Luna as a companion? Little girl who believes in all the creatures in the universe, even the ones that seem fake, but she's seen them with the Doctor. What more is there to say? It's pre series and post god-complex.

* * *

The TARDIS sprung to life, emitting a sharp static hiss. The world spun around as she went off without directions.

_"No, no, no!" I cried out, waving my hands frantically, trying to keep my balance as she zoomed off to who know where. "Hang on there!" The TARDIS was empty now, an eerie change compared to how full of life the Ponds always made it. But I couldn't come and get them now, I had made my choice, they thought I was dead, and it was better that way. Or at least, that's what I kept telling myself._

In answer to my shouts, the TARDIS let out another spark and bang before finally landing. I peeked outside the doors, revealing a small cottage placed alone on a hill full of strange signs and flowers.

"Well then," I sighed taking a step outside. "Planet earth, England, present da-oh." I bit my lip slightly, I had done it again, started talking to the people who weren't here, because I had left them behind, I had to. Sure, I could just be talking to myself, but then I shouldn't be waiting for a response.

An agonized scream came from the house. Leaping from the TARDIS doors I ran off to the house, careful not to step on any of the odd plants, and flew through the doors. A figure crouching over something on the ground looked up. She was a little girl of about nine. Her face looked up confusedly, full of pain and sadness, tears running down it. Her dirty, blond hair was down, tossed back and messy. Yet she didn't seem at all fazed by a strange man walking into her house, instead, she turned back to what she was leaning over.

"Mum, get up," the younger figure whimpered, her voice having an oddly dreamy air to it.

"Sorry, this is a bad time," I muttered awkwardly, stepping forward tentatively to see that she was crouched over a woman who had a great resemblance to her. "I heard a bang, never could resist a bang..."

"Who are you?" she asked, shaking her mother slightly.

"I'm the Doctor," I whispered, bending down to examine her Mum. "Who are you."

"Luna Lovegood," she sighed. "Is she... is she okay?"

I reached down, gently grasping her wrist to feel a pulse. Nothing. "What happened?"

"Her spell backfired," Luna sobbed, looking up at me with her big, wide eyes.

"Spell...?" I repeated, never before had I met someone who had actually had the ability to cast magic, but there were thousands of galaxies-everything was true somewhere. And despite the depressing mood of this whole occasion, I felt myself brighten slightly from the idea.

"You're a Muggle, then?" Luna asked, her eyes still boring into me, unblinking-despite how many tears were slipping down her cheeks.

"Oh no, of course not," I assured her, smiling solemnly up at them both. "I'm a Time Lord-alien, if you like."

"That's alright," Luna nodded, her gaze falling to her mother. "She's a witch, as am I. But she does like to dabble, and..."

"It backfired," I finished. "I'm so, so sorry... She didn't make it."

"Oh." The little gasp of breath from her lips revealed a lot more than realization. Despairing horror filled the sound, letting the depression linger in the air like a rock sinking into the sea, falling farther and farther from light. Without another word she got up from her crouch, walking stiffly out of the house.

For a hesitant moment I just sat there, staring at the newly deceased mother of Luna. My own words echoed in my mind ...Until I'm standing over your dead body? Over Rory's? Silently, I rose from my place and joined Luna who was just sitting on the front steps of her house, looking straight at nothing in particular.

"I'm sorry about your Mum," I offered, sitting down next to her.

"Thank you," She murmured in response, still staring intensely into space.

"I guess I was sort of wondering," I continued after an awkward pause. "Would you like to see all of time and space?"

"In that blue box, right there?" Luna asked, looking up to glance over at my TARDIS. "The telephone box that's not really a telephone box?"

"Yes," I assured her tentatively, wondering how she had seen through the chameleon arc. "That's the one."

"Yes, please," Luna nodded her head, the words drawing from her mouth in such a dreamy fashion.

_._


	2. Chapter 2

**Ach, sorry I've been really bad about updating lately. GISHWHES last week kept me from being productive in writing of any type. **

**Point of View: **Luna Lovegood

**2/4**

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"Well, I don't think Raxacoricofallapatorius is too fond of us for now," the Doctor laughed, pulling some switches and pressing a button. It was such a great laugh, a hearty below of happiness coming from such an ancient, sad being. "Best stay away from it for now. Where to now, Luna?"

"Somewhere new-for both of us," I prompted, returning the Doctor's grin as we held on tight to the console. Traveling with the Doctor was even better than casting magic, far more splendid and limitless. It had been the equivalent of years since the Doctor had picked me up from my house, and yet I could go back at the same point in time at a moment's notice. Well, who would want to leave such an amazing life?

The TARDIS spun to life, the machine emanating with its soul, traveling through space and time, bringing us further than we had ever gone before. As turbulence knocked everything this way and that, I had to grip the surface in effort to stay upright. Until finally, the TARDIS jolted to a stop.

"After you, Miss Lovegood," he gestured to the door, an excited grin bouncing on his face.

I rushed forward, the silvery strands of my hair gliding out behind me with the radish earrings I had grown so fond of. Tearing the doors open, I nearly floated out, into the dark depths of a jungle.

"Never been here before," the Doctor claimed, staring at awe out into the twisting trees, whose branches curved into knots, the large leaves emerald green, and glowing in the otherwise pitch black forest. The branches rustled around to a nonexistent wind, blocking the view, so that we could barely see more than a foot in front of our faces. "Into the woods, Luna?"

"Into the woods," I repeated dreamily, my gaze searching into the darkness. Despite the glowing leaves, I couldn't help but feel as though there was something invisible to our eye, watching us. But that was okay, because just because someone was curious, didn't mean they were bad.

The two of us walked forward. The further we went, the more the leaves dimmed, until we were encased in nearly complete darkness. Suddenly, a little ball of fuzz bounced around my feet, scrambling to run up my legs with its tiny, sticky, fingers.

"Lumos," I whispered, holding my want out to conduct a ball of light. I shouldn't have been able to cast such precise magic at my age, but both of my parents had brought it upon themselves to teach me a few simple, necessary spells.

The tiny creature was covered in shaggy black fur, with four arms barely visible from the tufts of charcoal puff. Only its eyes were visible amongst facial features, which stared up in delight at the glowing orb my wand had conjured. The placid, large, black ovals gazed with such intensity, the light liquefying and transforming into a dazzle of color in their pupils. It made a small gurgling noise, before a gaping hole below its eyes opened into a grin of delight.

"Oh, it's a Hornsnarkle!" The Doctor announced with affection, reaching down and patting the little critter on the head-who started to purr. "I wonder why it would be out here... rather far off and dark for such a tiny race."

"And here's your friend," I smiled, my cheeks flushing with happiness at the sight of another identical fuzz ball, racing towards us, and bumping into its friend in effort to see the light better."

"They never exist alone," the Doctor assured me, patting the other one as well. "There's probably billions in this forest. Hold on, let me sonic your spell and..." He directed his sonic screwdriver at the light at the tip of my wand, allowing the brilliance to fly free of its tether, multiplying and flying up into the sky. The balls of luminescence frolicked above us, causing the entire forest to light up.

Suddenly, it wasn't just Horsnarkles that were racing toward her and the balls of light. Giant serpents with hooked claws and birds with feathered wings and bat wings, huddled towards the light like moths caught by the beauty of the lantern. As each creature got close enough to the light, their gray bodies seemed to transform into dark blues and purples, browns and greens.

The Doctor's eyes were lit with excitement, his gaze darting from one alien to the next. Some of them he named, others he just spotted, saying things like 'Haven't seen that one before,' or, 'They are so cool!' But before I could really process it, the Doctor's gaze darkened, his eyes darted around the ground. That's when I saw what had stolen his smile away. Despite how alight and shining the sky was, along with any objects in the vicinity, the ground was still covered in shadows.

"Vashta Nerada," the Doctor hissed, backing up slowly, closer to the TARDIS. "How are we still even alive? They're carnivorous creatures swimming in shadows. Are they not hungry?"

"Doctor," I swallowed, my eyes glazed as I attempted to stare at him. Everything had suddenly gone so fuzzy... I couldn't see... couldn't properly think. There was something in my mind, something groping through and blinding everything in darkness. "It's gotten into my mind." I didn't know what 'it' was, not exactly, but from the look on the Doctor's face, it was plain to see that he knew exactly what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Mah, I've got plenty of excuses for my awfulness for updating, but at least I finished my original piece, eh?**

**Point of View:** The Doctor

**3/4**

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Reaching forward, I managed to catch Luna in my arms as she fell. Oddly enough, the lights she had cast continued to glint into the sky. It was ironic, in a really sick, nasty way, how she had filled this place with light-while she had caught the darkness. Quickly, I brought Luna through the forest, and into the TARDIS. The leaves thwacked up against us, as I attempted to retrace our steps. Needless to say, it was easier in the light, but I still found that I wasn't moving quickly enough.

Time was of the essence. I didn't know how much time she had, but there wasn't any reason to take a chance. This had been the first time I had seen any Vashta Nerada bother to evolve-enveloping the mind first, and then devouring the body... There was only one idea, one way to save this fantastic, brilliant sunshine.

I sprinted into the TARDIS. Lowering her onto the ground, I started up the TARDIS, racing away as quickly as I could. I would have to do something I had never thought I'd touch ever again-I had to cleanse her mind through the heart of the TARDIS, then erase the very essence of me from her brain. I hadn't had to do that since Donna-no, I wasn't going to think about that-I couldn't think about that. I couldn't think about the amazing sassy red head who had been the closest thing to a sister that I had ever had. Nor could I think about how I was about to lose Luna to the same fate.

"Open her up, you sexy thing," I murmured, rubbing the TARDIS's console. Obediently, she opened up. I had to look away, shielding my eyes from her brilliance. So instead I focused on Luna's body, which was being encased with the light, levitating off the ground for a fraction on a second. She would be okay, she had to be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here's the last part/chapter of the incredibly short fic. Thank you _The Amendable Snow Freak_, _Artimis GoH, Mararder's Map, Riddelly, and FlopsyTheStingyDingo, _for the favorites and critiques. And also, thanks, once again, Riddelly u/2806257/ , for being my ever present Beta, and keeping me from abandoning this fic.**

**Point of View:** The Doctor

**4/4**

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My hands were wedged tightly in my pockets, although they didn't need hiding from the wind or the crowd. No one was paying attention to me, the man in the corner, as they all stuffed themselves into the Hogwarts Express on platform nine and three quarters.

****There was plenty of witches and wizards milling about, which would have intrigued me, normally. But now my gaze was locked on one witch, whose gleaming silvery blond hair simply glowed, almost as brightly as her smile. Her radish earrings glistened in the light, and she had one bag on either side, a magazine stuffed under her arm. Luna was leaving. Finally off to her wizarding school and her fantastic, unusual life... They all left eventually, but it felt wrong that there were just ten or so adventures which such a brilliant ray of light.


End file.
